The North-South divide in India is an ongoing dialog — woven into political rhetoric, joke punchlines, and on a regular basis discussions. Whereas usually rooted in regional pleasure, it might typically reveal deeper societal biases. Not too long ago, a Reddit person shared a private expertise, claiming, “North Indians simply power others to dwell like them.”
In a prolonged publish, the person recounted experiences of discrimination confronted as a South Indian residing in Maharashtra and later in Delhi. “In my complete life, I barely met 10-15 individuals who didn’t bully me for being South Indian,” they wrote. They recalled an incident from eighth grade the place a instructor singled out South Indian college students, solely to mock them: “She stated, ‘Please don’t speak in my class or in teams since you guys make the identical noise as whenever you fill rocks in a tin can.’”
The person additional described the cultural alienation they felt, from being mocked for his or her language and flicks to even being ridiculed for consuming with their palms. “You guys made enjoyable of every part. And the worst half? The identical individuals who instructed us to ‘return’ compelled us to be taught Hindi, compelled us to adapt, and nonetheless bullied us for being South Indian,” they shared.
The publish struck a chord with many, main others to share comparable experiences. “I lived in Delhi throughout my childhood and was bullied for being South Indian. My Hindi is rattling good, however I nonetheless confronted points,” one commenter wrote. One other added, “That is precisely why I refuse to be taught Hindi. Even when you converse it fluently, you’re nonetheless an outsider.”
One person recounted going through racism even in a web based gaming session. “I used to be taking part in Valorant, and the second my teammate spoke Malayalam, the chat was crammed with ‘Dosa, idly, sambar, chutney’ spam. It’s only a recreation, however youngsters behaving this manner worries me about India’s future.”
Nevertheless, some identified that the bias just isn’t one-sided. A Bihari person shared their very own struggles with discrimination in South India: “I’ve confronted racism too. Some on this thread even. Racists exist all over the place — we simply have to take the upper highway.”
A Bengali person residing in North India echoed comparable sentiments, alleging that folks made derogatory remarks about their tradition and ladies. “North Indians are in all probability among the most racist folks on the earth, and it’s hilarious once they cry about being referred to as out.”